The purpose of this project was to develop guidelines for best practices related to early intervention, outreach and community linkages for youth with substance use problems. The intention is to provide a wide range of health and community professionals with updated information about specific challenges in these areas and encourage further best practice research.

The final report is organized into five main sections:
• Project background and description: A summary of methodology and research activities.
• Literature review: A critical analysis of relevant research.
• Interviews with key experts: A summary of key insights from experts across Canadian provincial and territorial jurisdictions representing academia, managers and clinical professionals.
• Focus groups with youth: The perspectives of youth who are or have been in need of early intervention, outreach or community linkage services to address problem substance use.
• Best practice statements: Guidelines related to early intervention, outreach and community linkages for youth with substance use problems. The sections of the document that support each best practice statement are cited in Appendix B.